President Hassan Rouhani reassured neighbors that Iran’s military power and capabilities are a deterrent and pose no threat to them.
"We tell our neighbors that ours is a policy based on good neighborliness. We want to be a good neighbor for the regional countries and have no intention to attack any country," he told a ceremony in Tehran held to mark National Army Day on Wednesday.
"No one should be worried about Iran's power… Our neighbors should know that our weapons are not intended for use against them… [and] are for deterrence," Rouhani said, according to a transcript of his remarks carried by president.ir.
Furious by the victories of Iran-allied sides in conflicts in some countries, the US and its European and regional allies accuse Tehran of playing a “destabilizing role” and are pressing it to curb its missile development plans along with regional activities.
Iran insists on its right under international law and the United Nations Charter to boost its military might and missile program as it deems fit for defensive needs.
“We are not living in an ordinary part of the world, but rather in a critical region where we are surrounded by aggressive major powers whose presence is illegitimate and whose intervention in regional affairs is incompatible with international law. They (big powers) invade countries without authorization from the UN and in violation of its charter and international law,” the president said.
“In a region where big powers use terrorist groups as a tool to spread instability, our country needs a powerful, deterrent armed forces to be able to stand against such powers, foil their plots and deter terrorists from seeking a presence in our land,” he said.
Rouhani’s reassertion of Iran’s right to self-defense comes days before the May 12 deadline for US President Donald Trump to approve or reject the suspension of US sanctions against Iran, as called for under the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement.
Fixing the Deal
The embattled Trump, who is entangled in several major scandals and corruption cases along with his senior aides, has vowed to kill the historic agreement by not signing the sanctions waiver, unless the European governments agree to a side agreement on restricting Iran’s military power and growing influence in the strategic region.
In return for the sanctions relief under the deal, Iran agreed to temporary curbs on its nuclear program, which Trump wants to be strengthened.
The Trump White House has charged Iran with breaching UN resolutions related to its missile development programs.
Resolution 2231 adopted to endorse the nuclear accord days after its conclusion in July 2015 calls on Tehran to refrain from any work on the design of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.
Iran says it has no such technology.
Iran is also accused of supplying missiles to Yemen’s Houthi forces, which is banned under a separate UN resolution, charges it denies.
A civil war waging in Yemen pits the Iran-allied Houthi movement against a US-backed Saudi-led coalition that has been bombing the impoverished Arab country to restore fugitive President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Iran is prohibited under resolution 2231 from supplying, selling or transferring weapons outside the country unless approved by the UN Security Council.
Rouhani reiterated Tehran’s stance that it will not seek the West’s permission to build its military capability.
“I state clearly that the government… will stand by the Islamic Republic’s Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps to help produce or acquire any weapons required for the country’s defense. We have not and will not wait for their nod or approval.”
